PORTLAND – Extended play outlined the day for California after it went to full sets for the second time in Friday's closer against Portland State.
 
Fortunately, things tilted in favor of the Golden Bears (6-2, 0-0 Pac-12) as they outlasted the Vikings (1-7, 0-0 Big Sky) in a 3-2 (28-30, 25-22, 25-11, 21-25, 15-11) battle to finish day 1 of the West Coast Challenge with a 1-1 record.
 
In a collective effort, five Bears recorded double-digit kills led by Bailee Huizenga and Preslie Anderson who tied for a game-high 16 kills. Huizenga also led Cal in its first game against Gonzaga, a 3-2 loss, with 18 kills. Mima Mirkovic, Carmen Annevelink and middle blocker Lauren Forte who made her collegiate debut added 12 kills each, with Mirkovic also recording a game-high 25 digs. 
 
The win was also highlighted by the inspirational return of junior Savannah Rennie who stepped on the court for the first time since 2016 after going through treatment for Non-Hodgkin Post-Transplant Lymphoma in 2017, an illness she will have to monitor for the rest of her life. The San Diego, Calif., native, underwent a liver transplant in 2016 after being diagnosed with Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis with Portal Hypertension in 2015, which prevented her from playing her freshman season. Rennie recorded six kills, two assisted blocks and one solo block.
 
(Read more about Savannah's journey in Inspiring Vulnerability)
 
"Savannah went in while we were struggling and helped contribute to our comeback effort tonight," said head coach Jennifer Dorr. "She was dialed into the match and able to contribute a strong offensive effort. For our team and all the fans out there, this was a big night for Savannah and she put herself in a position to be successful because of relentless commitment to being the best she can be. It was an emotional feeling for me after her first kill, because I know how long she's waited to have that feeling of on-court success again."

The Bears jumped out to a commanding 10-4 lead in the opening set, but allowed the Vikings to recover committing 12 errors in the first game. Cal squandered three set points giving PSU enough space to build late momentum after an attacking error followed by the slow kill from Vikings' Maddy Reeb to notch the set 30-28.

The Bears took sets 2 and 3 as the match appeared to be easily in reach after Cal posted its largest win margin of the day with a 14-point advantage. Cal outhit PSU 17-7 in the third set, recording an attacking percentage of .455 while limiting the Vikings to .037.

Cal allowed for another closely-contested battle in set 4, giving up a comfortable 9-6 lead after committing seven errors and being outhit 15-12 to force the necessary fifth set, where the Bears recovered from a poor start and posted a 6-2 run to clinch the victory.
 
"Resiliency and staying tough and together got us through some major adversity tonight," Dorr said. "Two, five-setters played five hours apart is rough and I'm proud of how all 15 contributed throughout the day. We had strong performances by players coming off the bench and great moral support from our sideline."
 
 Cal closes its road trip Saturday morning against Fresno State at 10 a.m. (PT).
 
For more information on Cal volleyball, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @CalVolleyball.